Depressed chick????

[Mamahalo]

Please tell me if you have seen this behavior before.

Last week an outside cat got her paw through a crack in the door and snatched one of my chicks. I don't know if she tried to get any of the others, but since that day one of my other younger Americaunas seems "scared". She trembles when she sticks her neck out, but not her legs, just her neck really. She was really jumpy and freaked out alot for a few days. She isn't so nervous now but she still trembles alot and sits down all the time. She can walk and run normally but she sits instead of standing. I don't think it is getting worse, but its not getting better. She will sit in my hands and not tremble, but when I put her down she seems to lose balance sometimes.

Her poop is normal, I see her eat and drink. I thought maybe she was just weak so I seperated her (two cat carriers face to face so they can still huddle together) and gave her seperate water and crumbles yesterday. The other chicks are not pecking at her at all and there is no pasting or any visible injusry. I can't really tell if she is thinner than the others, I don't know what to think... Could she have had a stroke of some kind when the cat tried to get her?

edit: I am giving her Sav-a-chick and letting her out some during the day to socialize, but the rest have begun to determine the pecking order and she doesn't even try. Maybe she will be happy to be the bottom chicken, but I'm beginning to think she is depressed, not sick. Maybe the lost chick was her buddy and she misses her?

HOW DO I CHEER HER UP?

 

[Mamahalo]

Anybody? please help, I'm worried she will start geting pecked on if she doesn't get stronger.

 

[Chido]

I'm new to chickens too, but I read somewhere that chickens can go into shock or something like that after being too stressed by something. Maybe try keeping her in a crate or a quite room and disturb her as little as possible?

Also posting to bump this thread to the first page to get more advice.

 

[Celtic Chick]

You should separate her and another docile chick that gets along with her for a few days so she can get some rest & recuperate from her ordeal. She might be feeling ill due to the stress, and having a bunch of feisty chicks around won't help her any. One will keep her company, provide warmth & also some moral support. She needs rest.
A friend advised me to tell you "Poly vi sol without iron by eyedropper to the side of the beak for about 4-5 days should help, needs warmth under a heat lamp too."
That would be one drop of the Poly a day for chicks. (from Enfamil. You can get it at Walmart or Walgreens)

 

[Mamahalo]

Thanks so much!

I did alot of researching last night and ruled out Marek's (I think). The cat incident may have shocked her but I wonder if may be a Vitamin E or D deficiency? The only other thing that matched her symptoms was Equine Encephalitis!!!!

She eats nothing but chick starter and a mealworm now and then like the rest of them so I don'r know why she would be deficient?

I am keeping her completely isolated now cause she is getting stepped by everybody, nobody is dcile enough... but i take her out and give her droppers with the savachick water at least 3x day and I started giving her some scrambles yolk in the morning too. Is that enough or is the children's vitamin better?


One last idea, the metal? (not wood) paneling around the patio is crumbling in some spots and they peck at it to get bugs. Might the paint or metal be toxic and she ate some? I'm keeping them all crated unless supervised to avoid further pecking at the spots, but I can't tell if they eat it or just peck at it...

 

[Chido]

They might eat it by accident. I think chickens are like dogs in that they explore with their mouth, so don't rule out an accidental ingestion. Also if you are keeping the chicken inside, try to keep her next to you so she doesn't get lonely. i have a sick chick right now and he (or she?) calms down a lot if I let him snuggle inside my robe. So maybe just letting your chicken be next to you and just let her rest might help. I read it can take days for a chicken to recover from shock, so just take it easy *hugs*

 

[Celtic Chick]

I highly doubt she has Marek's. She just had a really good scare, and now her system is out of whack because of it. She got a good shock to her immune system and her body needs time to recuperate from it.
Chick starter is the best thing for her. You can supplement her diet with a few treats that are high in vitamins A, K & E , especially vit. A. She might have a nutrient deficiency, and vitamin A is one of the most important vitamins for a chickens overall health.
Some foods high in vit. A are: broccoli, butternut squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, mangoes & tomato juice. Spinach, peppers & alfalfa leaves for K, and sweet potatoes & broccoli for E, which helps boost the immune system.
If you have any of these veggies, boil them up until they are soft & chop them into bite-size pieces or mash them with a fork.
I would read the directions on the Sav-A-Chik. Is it ok to give that to them for more than a few days? You might want to get the Poly.
Cooked egg yolk is a great thing to feed a sick chick. Good idea.
And I would keep my chicks as far away from that crumbling metal as possible. They can & will most likely swallow some of it, and that would not be good for them. It could be toxic or it may damage their innards.

 

[Celtic Chick]

Quote:
Good advice, Chido!

 

[Chido]

Quote:
Good advice, Chido!

Thank you! I've always had pets until 3 years ago (mostly dogs and fish), and I've noticed how similar my chicks behave like puppies, they are such drama queens and attention w****s, they may run away from me when I try to hold them, but as soon as I sit down at my desk, they'll jump on me, scratch me all over in their struggle to get to the back of my chair, and roost there right behind my neck. Silly youngsters just want some love and hugs

, and like puppies, they tend to eat things they shouldn't, I just didn't know what to watch for with chickens, and boy have i learned a lot these past few days from you Druid and all my Google searches.

 

[Mamahalo]

I sure hope its just shock.

Chido I follow your issues with Rusty, you are such a good motherhen, I wish I could let my special needs lady on my shoulder but she might fall off and break a teeny bone and I would never forgive myself! Unfortunately I work full time and have a toddler and two indoor cats so I can't bring her inside even if I could get her a diaper. I wish I could make her a house chicken! She does like to sit in my lap, but the back porch is nice, I'll just have to do something about the crumbly spots...

I'll get some vof those veggies tomorrow for her, I put one of the older chicks in with her tonite to try. I think she is the mildest and only one step up the pecking order, but it has been a little chilly at night (60s...) so they need the huddle warmth. I also put a towel over the crate to keep out drafts.

I let her out at lunch today and followed her around inspecting every single poo. All of them look good, a touch dry, but she drinks from dropper and I really think the Sav-a-chick is helping> it says mix 1 packet per gallon and feed for about 5 days but I did the math and only make a couple of cups a day. She seems to be regaining a bit of balance and the tremors subsided some.

i took a video but not sure how to upload here yet...


BTW, the night of "the incident"... I threw a handful of peagravel at the nasty cat and it hasn't come back since!

it used to sleep in my lawn chair every night, the evil thing.